History Anime / Persona4TheAnimation

** Look no further than the opening and ending songs! The opening especially has caused a lot of {{mondegreen}}s.

* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: Yu summons Kohryu to fight Kunino-Sagiri and break his MindControl on the others.

[[caption-width-right:350:''[[ThematicThemeTune Sky's the limit.]]'']]

* RedHerring: Like in the game, the in-universe version is [[spoiler:Mitsuo]]. For the audience, we also get [[spoiler:Naoto]] as a bit of a RedHerring early on. When Yu first sees him eerie music plays and the shot fixates on his eyes during a tense sideways glance. That's not to mention that he spends time with [[spoiler:Kanji, right before Kanji disappears.]] The SpoilerOpening ruins the latter example, though.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: While Narukami is watching Rise's shadow on the Midnight Channel, we see his right arm [[ADateWithRosiePalms moving rhythmically]]. The next shot reveals it's his hand around the remote, continuously clicking the record button.

* ZettaiRyouiki: Look no further than Rise, who wears thigh highs with her uniform.

* CharacterOutlivesActor: Although Isamu Tanonaka died of a heart attack in 2010, Igor still appears in the anime using leftover voice clips from the game.

* OnceMoreWithClarity: Episode 13 focuses on Nanako's perspective as she investigates Yu's strange behavior. Episode 14 goes through the same events once more, this time from Yu's point of view.

* RashomonStyle: Two episodes taking place over the summer break document Yu's misadventures during that period. The first one, taking place in Nanako's perspective, seems like that Yu is [[ReallyGetsAround dating three women at once]], one of which is a mother with a child and another is ''[[MayDecemberRomance an elderly lady]]''. [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers Plus, Teddie takes the bus]]. The second episode has Yu explaining to Nanako about what he was really doing: Gathering money to pay for a new umbrella for her by taking odd jobs at the hospital, day care and tutoring. He also happened to meet said three women who became his Social Links, had to pay for a toy that wasn't broken in the first place and borrowed Teddie's costume for the day care.

* PragmaticAdaptation: In an effort to condense a 90+ hour game into 26 half-hour episodes, the anime seems to be showing no class time and cutting out the vast majority of the dungeon crawling--basically showing condensed versions of the dungeon plots and then skipping straight to the boss battles. It seems that they will also be showing the very sidestory-ish Social Link plots. Similarly, the team no longer uses weapons, since it's a whole lot harder to convince viewers that the investigation team has been sneaking swords and chairs into Junes under their clothes when everything is being fully animated.

* RashomonStyle: Two episodes taking place over the summer break document Yu's misadventures during that period. The first one, taking place in Nanako's perspective, seems like that Yu is [[ReallyGetsAround dating three women at once]], one of which is a mother with a child and another is ''an elderly lady''. [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers Plus, Teddie takes the bus]]. The second episode has Yu explaining to Nanako about what he was really doing: Gathering money to pay for a new umbrella for her by taking odd jobs at the hospital, day care and tutoring. He also happened to meet said three women who became his Social Links, had to pay for a toy that wasn't broken in the first place and borrowed Teddie's costume for the day care.

* TheAnimeOfTheGame

** It continues the trend.
-->''Bonds of people is the true power.''

* MoodWhiplash: Episodes 16 and 22. 16 near the end, gets very serious when Shadow Naoto berserks, strapping the real Naoto to an operating table and attacking the team. Then cue hilarity as Shadow Naoto uses Enervation and the team runs away yelling to prevent being turned into old people. Then cut back to gruesome reality, as Naoto is still on the operating table with a buzz saw over her.

-->'''Yu:''' I've heard enough. It's all ''Bullshit!''

-->'''Shadow Mitsuo:''' You have no bonds. Friendship is an illusion. You are empty.

** Naoto's Midnight Channel area, like in the video game, shows a lot of references to tokusatsu series, including the 'Franchise/KamenRider'' series.

-->'''Rise:''' Go on! Now's your chance, Yu!\\

** Several of Yu's other Personas count as well, during the True Ending episode. A prime example being Rakshasa (a level 16 Persona in the game) [[spoiler:going toe-to-toe with Yoshitsune (who is a whopping level 75) during Yu's battle against Margaret.]] Though Rakshasa does resist physical attacks, and also has the Counter and Dodge Physical abilities.

** During the fight against [[spoiler:Shadow Teddie]] Rise under Himiko's guidance, pinpoints its weak spot, which Yu has Izanagi go into the Shadow and stab it, which looks like a big landmine. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that this is Ameno-Sagiri.]]

-->'''-- Yu Narukami'''

* AdaptationDistillation: Very little of the dungeon-crawling (which was at least half the game) is on-screen. And when they're on the way to the boss fights, usually they're providing exposition and character development on the way. As a bonus, it eliminates the FridgeLogic of where these kids managed to get the ability to use their weapons like experts.

* CringeComedy

** Yosuke has his {{Jerkass}} tendencies exaggerated quite a bit. Additionally, he was the de facto MrExposition in the game (given the SilentProtagonist), and basically in many ways acted like the leader of the group. Now that Yu is SuddenlyVoiced, Yosuke has much less competence.

* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:Adachi]] goes fucking ''nuts'' when the team delivers their ShutUpHannibal speeches.

** Igor, due to his Japanese seiyuu having passed away. All of his lines in the animation are taken directly from his speaking parts in the game itself.

* NotSoStoic: Yu lives and breathes this trope. Unlike Persona 3's protagonist in the animated films who develops this over time, Yu immedaitely starts delivering quips and getting into odd situations, even if he does it all with a straight face.

* ZettaiRyouiki: Look no further than Rise, who wears thigh highs with her uniform.

* AndTheAdventureContinues: Despite the series' supposed end with Episode 25 (The battle against [[spoiler:Adachi and Ameno-Sagiri]]), the REAL final episode, "No One is Alone", was released when Vol. 10 of the anime was released this past August in Japan. Naturally, the episode focuses on [[spoiler:the final battle against Izanami as well as a battle against Margaret, though not necessarily in the manner someone who has played the original game would expect...]]

** Played seriously in episode 21 when [[spoiler:Yu is being interrogated at police station by his uncle. Again, he explains about Personas, but Dojima just doesn't believe him.]]

* AdaptationDistillation: Very little of the dungeon-crawling (which was at least half the game) is on-screen. And when they're on the way to the boss fights, usually they're providing exposition and character development on the way. As a bonus, it eliminates the FridgeLogic of where these kids managed to get perfectly functional weapons and the ability to use them like experts.

* DeathGlare

* {{Foreshadowing}}: A very subtle one in episode 4. [[spoiler:When the spotlights hit Teddie's eyes they briefly change from his usual black into a Shadow's yellow. Hinting at his status as a shadow.]]